iMac Pro’s insane price tag is actually a great deal

When Apple unveiled the new iMac Pro at WWDC this week, not only was it the most powerful Mac ever made, it was also one of the most pricey ever.

At $5,000 for the baseline model, the iMac Pro is aimed at the most professional of Pro users, but according to a new price analysis on competing super-powered PC, the iMac Pro might actually be a killer deal.

Apple isn’t known for giving customers cheap prices on stellar hardware, however, during the WWDC 2017 keynote the company said the new iMac Pro is a good deal. Especially when you compare it to similar systems by HP.

To find out if the iMac Pro’s price really is sweet, PC Gamer decided to build a system with comparable specs. After the final tally came in, the home-built option was just barely cheaper than Apple’s new machine.

Building the iMac Pro yourself will only save you about $313 depending on what kind of deals you find. PC Gamer’s impressive build cost a grand total of $4686.71.

Here’s the list of parts you need:

• CPU: Intel – Xeon E5-2620 V4 2.1GHz 8-Core Processor ($408.99)
• CPU Cooler: NZXT – Kraken X62 Liquid CPU Cooler ($158.99)
• Motherboard: Asus – X99-E-10G WS SSI CEB LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($649.00)
• Memory: Crucial – 32GB (1 x 32GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($253.81)
• Storage: Samsung – 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99)
• Video Card: Zotac – GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founders Edition ($678.99)
• Case: Silverstone – TJ04B-EW ATX Mid Tower Case ($151.90)
• Power Supply: SeaSonic – PRIME Titanium 1000W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($242.89)
• Operating System: Microsoft – Windows 7 Professional ($134.99)</li>
• Monitor: LG – UltraFine 5K Display 60Hz Monitor ($1299.95)
• Other: ASUS Model ThunderboltEX 3 Expansion Card ($69.99)
• Keyboard: Apple – MB110LL/B Wired Standard Keyboard ($49.00)
• Mouse: Apple – MB829LL/A Bluetooth Wireless Laser Mouse ($79.99)
• Speakers: Logitech – Z130 5W 2ch Speakers ($18.99)
• Card reader: Kingston – Digital MobileLite G4 USB 3.0 card reader ($9.24)

Of course, going with a home-built option means you won’t get the space gray keyboard and mouse that come with the iMac Pro. You also would have to install Windows 7 or Windows 10. Might as well pay the extra bucks and get the iMac Pro that also comes with a great warranty and customer service.